Broken Laws
by mindlessmadness
Summary: Lydia has just graduated college and finally has time to spend with Beetlejuice. But when a powerful enemy emerges, is there any way they can win?
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hi all (well, "all" assuming anyone reads this). This is an idea thats been kicking around in my head for a while, and its also my first published fic. So im terribly excited. Anywho, i hope you like it._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, which is terribly sad. I WISH i owned Beetlejuice..._

A shadowy figure raced across the front lawn of a large, white house. The shape reached the porch, and a light flickered on, illuminating it-or, more precisely, her.

She was a short, slim young woman in perhaps her early 20's. A heavy black velvet skirt fell to her ankles, and her short sleeve blouse was also dark. Both matched her gorgeous hair, which was pulled back in a messy ponytail. A stuffed knapsack hung from her back, and a small duffel bag was slung across her shoulders. Her startlingly pale skin almost seemed to glow in the moonlit night. Any passerby at that moment may have mistaken the girl for a wandering ghost. They would be wrong, of course-but much closer to the truth than anyone could ever know.

Lydia Deetz's big gray eyes glimmered with excitement as she fumbled with her keys. After nearly dropping them twice in her haste, she finally managed to jam them into the lock of her parents home.

"Open! Open! Open!" she hissed, fighting the desire to fling herself against the wood. With one final, vicious twist, the door gave way, and Lydia stumbled inside.

There were no lights on in the house, but she had expected this. A large wall clock to her left proclaimed the time to be 12:17 am, long past Charles and Delia Deetze's bedtime. Forcing herself to stay quiet, Lydia yanked off her shoes, hoisted her bags higher on her shoulders, and charged up the stairs, to her old bedroom.

_Six months!_ Her mind screamed. Six whole months since she had been here. Since she had seen her father and stepmother. Since she had run up these stairs, opened this bedroom door, stepped into this chamber…

Six months since she had seen him. Her best friend. And, to Lydia at least, that was five months and twenty-nine days too long.

After closing the door and switching on the light, Lydia peered around suspiciously. But, at least at first glance, everything was right where she had left it. Apparently, Delia had decided to lay off "improving" her personal space-at least for now. With a sigh of relief, Lydia threw her bags at the massive four-poster bed in the center of the room, and launched herself at her mirror.

Though her brain had already started on the strange focusing maneuvers needed to use the mirror, Lydia hesitated. Taking a step back, she shut her eyes and counted to three. When she opened them again, her mind, and the glass, which had begun to swirl, had cleared. Her excitement faded and was quickly replaced by anxiety. _It's pretty late_, she thought. _Maybe he wont even be awake. Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow._

"But, I want to see him now." She growled to herself. He went to bed late. He'd be awake. And, besides, he wanted to see her too. Surely he wouldn't mind. Would he?

The doubts that had plagued Lydia since her last visit home back in December returned with a vengeance. He had been so…different. Not distant, not really, just…quieter. She didn't know how to explain it. He had pulled pranks, and they'd had tons of fun, of course, but…something had changed.

_Well, of course it's different!_ Her over-thinking brain cried. _It was you who had_ _the stupid, logical idea to tell him you shouldn't hang out during they school year. He has every right to be distant; you've only seen each other a half dozen times since you started college!_

A swift, furious mental battle raged. Her doubts lost. With a determined sniff and her chin pointed stubbornly, Lydia stepped back up to the mirror. After a moment's concentration, the glass began to twist and glimmer strangely. Lydia's heart pounded, and her mouth went dry. A half-year of impatient waiting ended in this moment. Whether he wanted to see her or not.

The glass cleared, and Lydia looked not at her own reflection, but at an extraordinarily messy, very familiar room. No one was in sight, but unless he had redecorated (_Hah!_), his bed was just to the side of the mirror.

Seeing this room brought all her excitement back. With a barely stifled giggle, she leaned forward and tried to get his bed in sight. When her nose nearly touched the glass, she could just barely see a corner of something that was possibly a coffin. Before she could get any nearer, a loud snore startled her. She laughed quietly.

_All right_, she thought. _He's sleeping. But, hey, what's a little lost slumber among friends? Besides, his beetle pajamas are cute._

As is to stop Lydia from blushing at describing anything of her best friends as cute, another snore came through the mirror. She grinned.

"Hey," she whispered. "Time to wake up, Beetlejuice."

For a painfully long second, there was silence from beyond the mirror. Thinking that perhaps he hadn't heard her, Lydia had just opened her mouth to speak again when a shuffling noise came from the direction of the coffin bed. Though aggravated that she couldn't see him, Lydia settled for listening eagerly. After a moment, she was rewarded.

"Hunh?" grunted an obviously half-asleep BJ. Lydia smiled.

"Beeeej…" she said in her best hypnotic tone. Her desire to laugh made this difficult. "You want to go to your mirror. You WILL go to your mirror…."

Movement came from the direction of Beetlejuice's bed. A levitating form detached itself from the shadows in the corner of the mirrors viewing area and floated into her line of sight. Her first glimpse of her ghostly best friend in half a year made Lydia snicker. He laid horizontally in the air, arms and legs hanging downwards, red tipped fingers just brushing the floor. Long, messy, blonde hair partially obscured his bluish face, which was totally expressionless. Half lidded eyes surrounded by purplish bags barely managed to focus on the mirror. If she hadn't had prior experience with sleepy Beetlejuice, Lydia would have thought her "hypnotizing" had worked perfectly. He arrived in front of her, and slowly lifted his head.

"Good morning sleepy." Lydia said teasingly.

Raising his hands, Beetlejuice rubbed his eyes lethargically. "Lyds…" he moaned. "Its not mornin', Its-"

He froze in his movements and dropped his hands in shock. His head snapped up and greeny-yellow eyes went wide as they met hers. All tiredness vanished as sudden realization struck him.

"Babes!" He howled. "You're back, you're back! Lemme outta here!"

Although it was tempting to torture him by prolonging his time trapped in his own world, Lydia just couldn't.

"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!" She cried.

The ghost dove through the mirror and tackled her in an enthusiastic hug. Cackling madly, he lifted them both off the ground and spun wildly in midair. Lydia laughed too, BJ's exuberance adding to her own joy-and considerable relief.

But although her parents were heavy sleepers, Beej's laugh was able to wake the dead-literally.

"Hey BJ," Lydia said. "I'm happy to see you too, but we gotta keep it down. If my parents were to wake up…well, I don't think they'd be able to shake this one off."

Beetlejuice pulled back a little bit and grinned mischievously at her, exposing crooked and greenish teeth.

"Oops." He said, comically half whispering, half shouting the word. He lowered them to the ground gently and released her. "But I just can't help it Lyds! I'm gonna burst with excitement!"

Beetlejuice shot into millions of pieces, and then quickly collected himself back together.

Lydia smiled at him. Though they may have seemed silly or juvenile to anyone else, she always enjoyed BJ's stupid puns. They were just part of who he was: the ghost with the most. _And besides_, she thought, _Beetlejuice IS silly and juvenile_.

"So." She said with a smirk. "Didja miss me?" She leapt onto her bed and sat cross-legged, eyes following BJ as he zoomed around the room.

"Tons Babes!" he exclaimed, dropping like a stone onto the bed beside her. Lydia jumped a bit at his sudden direction change, and was shocked to find herself a few mere inches from his face. A rush of emotions hit her, and she found that she was unable to move.

_What's he doing?_ Her mind barraged her with questions. _Why won't he move? Why wont I move? Oh my god, am I blushing? Why am I blushing? Is he gonna-?_

Beetlejuice flopped backwards onto the bed, hands linked behind his blonde head.

"So Lyds," he said casually. "Watcha been up to?"

Lydia found it necessary to catch her breath. _What was that_? She wondered. The whole thing had lasted for probably less than two seconds, but her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty. As she inconspicuously wiped them on the bedspread, she snuck a glance at BJ. He looked totally relaxed, as though nothing had happened.

_Oh well_, she thought. _If it didn't affect him at all, then it was probably nothing. Yeah. Absolutely nothing._

Turning to face him, she noticed his attentive look and remembered he had asked her a question.

"Well," she began. "I graduated in May…"

They proceeded to talk all night.

_A/N: Alright, i hope you liked it! More to come, and very soon! Please, please, please review, constructive criticism would be HIGHLY appreciated!_

_-Mel_


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: I don't know how often I'll be able to update this. I also apologize ahead of time for any grammar mistakes. Just point them out to me and away they will go._

_Disclaimer: Ok, since the message in this is NOT going to change any time soon, this is going to be the last disclaimer I put up. I DO NOT own Beetlejuice, no matter how much I wish I did._

_Read on and Enjoy!_

"Beej!" Lydia howled after her best friend. They were charging up twisted Lost Souls highway, near the turn-off to the Roadhouse. "What was that for? You come back here!"

Beetlejuice's reaction was to stick his tongue out at her and keep running.

"Ah, c'mon Lyds!" he laughed over his shoulder. "It was just a couple'a beetles! Besides, I thought you liked bugs!"

"Not in my hair!" she shot back, speeding up, and gaining on him. Lydia wasn't actually mad (in fact, controlling her laughter was becoming harder and harder), but the chase was much to fun to give up.

She allowed herself a grin as she drew up behind him. With a triumphant shout, Lydia lunged forward- only to have her hands close on empty space. She pin wheeled for a moment, and then fell to the ground.

A crazed cackle issued from the air. Lydia glowered at the floating form above her.

"You are a terrible, awful cheater." She told Beetlejuice.

"Of course I am! And Lyds, it was SO funny!" BJ gasped mirthfully, clutching his stomach as tears streamed down his face. "You shoulda seen your face!"

Immediately, he imitated her expression from a moment ago-flawlessly. Then he howled with laughter once more.

It was Lydia's turn to stick out her tongue, although a pink one is much less exciting than purple and green stripes.

"I'm SO glad you're amused." She said, though now she too was smiling. As Lydia moved to stand up, a red-fingered hand suddenly presented itself to her. She looked up in surprise.

"Why, I didn't think you cared." She said sarcastically to the now ground-bound BJ, taking the offered help nonetheless. With a sudden strong pull, she on her feet, and inches away from Beetlejuice.

_This too close for absolute comfort thing seems to be happening a lot lately_, she mused to herself. Not that she minded. In the two weeks she had back from college, she'd realized that, for reasons she would not admit to herself, she actually enjoyed these strange little moments she and BJ seemed to share quite often now.

"Lyds, was that sarcasm I heard?" her ghoulish friend gasped, widening his eyes dramatically so as to impart his full shock.

"Yeah, well, I learned from a master." She replied, before pulling away and turning towards their original destination.

"There's the Roadhouse, Beej." She said as she set off again. Behind her, she could sense Beetlejuice floating along, but didn't turn around. She was too busy banishing the sensation of long, red-tipped fingers entwined with her own…

_Stop that_, she snapped in her head. _You're being an idiot. I mean, you're acting as if…as if…_

"Lydia." She stopped abruptly, thankful for the distraction, but still on guard. Beetlejuice really only said her full name on the rare occasions he was being serious.

"Yes Beetlejuice?"

Still, she didn't turn around. The feeling of sudden tension between them was intense, and Lydia wasn't so sure she could handle facing BJ at that particular moment. She noticed, too, that he had remained behind her.

"Lyds, um, I wanted to ask you somethin'…" he trailed off nervously. Lydia's heart leapt into her throat, and rabid excitement gripped her- though she still staunchly refused to acknowledge what she was hoping for.

"Yes, BJ?" She repeated her earlier question, but softer this time.

Beetlejuice, for his part, felt like a fool. He knew exactly what it was he had wanted to ask, but upon getting those first words out, his poor, scared mind had rebelled. There was no way he could ask, not here, not now, not HER. He swallowed uncontrollably, and raced to think of a cover-up. _Oh buddy, you've really done it this_ _time_, he mentally berated himself. _No matter what you say, you're gonna sound like an idiot. Why couldn't you have just kept your big stupid trap closed, you-_

But Beetlejuice didn't have a chance to finish his thought.

A tremor shook the ground he and Lydia stood on, and he swayed dangerously. Lydia stumbled slightly, and flung her arms out to steady herself, finally turning to face him.

"Beetlejuice, what was-" she began, but a mighty clap of thunder cut her off and sent her leaping fearfully into BJ's arms.

He held on tight as the earth shook again, and the bright orange Neitherworldian sky darkened to a deep red. Lydia, in a state of mild panic, subconsciously registered the color as that of dried blood. The ground was quaking violently now, and the thunder had started up again, deafening her.

A single spot in the sky continued to darken, until it was near black. Beetlejuice fixed his now terrified gaze on that point as the center of this…storm? Attack?

"What's going on?" He yowled, though at whom he was not sure.

To his shock, he received an answer. Thought the thundering noises did not cease, a new sound emerged. A deep, rumbling roar that echoed in both Beetlejuice's ears and mind. He knew instinctually that it came from the black spot, and couldn't tear his eyes away as he realized that the sound was. A voice.

"Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz!" the voice boomed. Lydia screamed in pain and covered her ears. It did nothing to quell the pounding, however, as the speaker continued just as noisily in her mind.

"The both of you, ghost and mortal, have together…**lampooned**…the barriers between the lands of dead and living." Though the inflection did not change, both Lydia and Beetlejuice could feel the Voices distaste.

"For the past decade, The Council has deliberated your crimes, and punishment." Cold dread settled over Beetlejuice. He knew now who spoke to them, and the possible endings this unwanted meeting could yield.

"Today, at 2:04 pm, Neitherworldian time, a decision was reached."

Lydia had no idea what was happening. She felt she should be fleeing, but was trapped by the shaking of the ground- and her own panic-stricken legs.

"Of the ten Laws of Life and Death, set during the first Meet of The Council, in the early days of Existence, you have broken seven. There is only one punishment for such heinous deeds: Destruction."

Once again, BJ and Lydia could sense the emotions of the voice. Through their minds now coursed cruel pleasure…and eagerness.

"Oh shit." Whispered Beetlejuice, finally finding his voice. His words seemed to shake Lydia from her terrified shock, and she moved so quickly he nearly lost his balance.

"BEETLEJUICE, RUN!" she screamed, leaping forward and simultaneously grabbing his hand. A rush of adrenaline filled him, and he raced along beside her. Above them, the Voice screeched in anger at their actions, as the twisty road they tore along suddenly began to crack.

"To the door, to the door!" howled Lydia. Somewhere in his fear-consumed mind, Beetlejuice found the space to be astounded at her quick thinking. The door to the Outerworld was nearer than the Roadhouse, and actually posed a good possibility of escape. Hope, and with it, more energy, filled him, and BJ sped up, tightening his hold on Lydia's hand.

"Faster Lydia!" he yelled, leaping across a narrow chasm as parts of the road disintegrated. The path was falling apart in front of his very eyes! That newfound hope sputtered and died. A strangled scream escaped his lips as he realized there was no way, they could never make it, they would fall, this was it-

"FLY!" cried Lydia, barely dodging a sudden hole in their path. As the obviousness of her statement sunk in, BJ smacked himself over the head. With a leap, he took to the air, yanking Lydia along behind him.

"FOOLS! YOU CANNOT DEFY THE COUNCIL!" The Voices rage was punctuated by a lightning strike near Beetlejuice's head. With a yelp, he dodged and ducked, barely managing to keep their goal in sight. Stealing a glance at the ground, he saw that the twisty path that had once been Lost Souls Highway was all but destroyed. It was at this moment that a bolt hit its mark.

Burning pain grazed Lydia's wrist. She screamed, and her hand went limp, immediately dropping from Beetlejuice's grip. Suddenly, empty air was rushing by her, as she fell to certain doom.

"Beetlejuice!" She screeched, both hands, injured and not, reaching out to the ghost as she plummeted.

Even as he realized Lydia was falling, momentum still carried Beetlejuice forwards.

"Lydia!" he cried, spinning himself around. She was dropping towards what could only be Sandworm Land, terror in her eyes and death her only possible fate. Without hesitation, he dove.

Tumbling through space, Lydia screamed and screamed. She was going to die, right there and then- and in the land of the dead, no less. She couldn't see up or sideways, there was only down, down, down…. And a sudden striped blur.

Strong arms caught her, and then she was rocketing back upwards. Choking and sobbing now, Lydia clung to Beetlejuice's shirt as he shot towards the door to her world. Though she knew she should be trying to help BJ, all that registered was the fact that she was, indeed, still in one piece. At least for the moment.

Beetlejuice didn't allow himself a moment for relief. Instead, he used his charge of emotional energy to speed towards the door. It hung in midair, and they were so close, so close now…

With a final push, Beetlejuice and Lydia tumbled through into the large room between Outer and Neither worlds. The Voice filled their minds with anger.

"Do not think you can escape that easily! You will answer to the council!"

A final bolt of lightning caught BJ's foot as he flew away from the doorway and up the stairs. He bit back a cry of pain, and flung himself through the final door, and into Lydia's bedroom. With a gasping moan, and a sob from Lydia, the two escapees collapsed on the bed.

_A/N: So, do you like so far? I know it's probably terribly confusing, but that's why there's a next chapter! Send me a review telling me what perplexed you, or needs fixing (no flames, please) and I'll do my best to fix it up. FYI, I'm using italics for all thought processes. I know this isn't proper novel organization, and maybe I'll change it later (you could tell me what you think about this plan…in a review….), but for now I think it works. Hope you're enjoying!_

_-Mel_


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**: This chapter did not want to be written. It stubbornly refused to come out the way i wanted it too, so im not sure how much i like it. I also apologize for the lack of BJ/Lyds. Dont worry, they'll be here next chappie.

**Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed. Seriously. I nearly fell out of my chair when i saw how many i got, and i assure you i was smiling all day.**

**Dedication**: I would like to dedicate this chapter to my bestest pal in the world. Though she did not find it necessary to actually read my story, she did leave two highly interesting comments for my viewing pleasure. If you want to read them, they're the ones that make absolutely no sense.

**Disclaimer**: I know i said i wouldnt do this again, but theres something new this time. The Council are mine. I made them allll up. Miney mine mine.

**Alright then. Enjoy!**

* * *

Jacques was on his treadmill when the strange noises outside started. Though he was terribly tempted to investigate, he was also certain that whatever was going on had to be linked to Beetlejuice. And if that was the case, then he definitely did NOT want to be involved. So with a shake of his bony head, and a long-suffering sigh, he continued jogging.

When the entire Roadhouse began to shake only moments later, Jacques decided that maybe he had been wrong to not look around.

"Zut!" he cried, falling backwards off his treadmill. Using the walls to steady himself, the skeleton stumbled into the living-dead room.

"Be-atlejooce! Ginger! What 'ees going on?" he shouted, clinging to the doorway for dear death. He got no answer, but he also expected that he would not have been able to hear one through the infernal racket from outside. The entire house jolted violently for a few moments more, then, right as the noise reached an angry crescendo, stopped abruptly.

Everything was suddenly perfectly still. Jacques released his breath, which he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He peered around the room fearfully, certain some hideous monster (or worse, Beetlejuice) was going to crash through the wall any second. Just as he took his first unsteady step, a small shape fell to the floor in front of him. He would have jumped out of his skin, if he'd had any.

"Ohh my head…"moaned Ginger, holding it in two trembling legs. She looked up at Jacques.

"Wha' was that?" she asked, rising shakily to all eight limbs. He shook his skull slowly and shrugged his shoulders.

"I do no' know." He muttered. Carefully, he continued across the room to the front door. Ginger followed, tapping nervously all the way.

Jacques reached the door and yanked it open- only to reel back in shock. Quickly, he slammed it shut and turned to Ginger, eye holes wide.

"Wha'?" she asked. He didn't answer. Instead, he took a deep breath, as if to steady himself, the slowly opened the door again. This time there was no slamming. He just stared.

"Impossible." He murmured, still gazing at the outside world.

Ginger tapped a foot impatiently a few times, and, getting no answer, scuttled around her skeletal friends legs to see for herself. Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

All the surrounding roads were…gone. Lost Souls highway, their twisty side street, the Monster Across the Street's skull shaped home (luckily, he and Poopsie were at a country music festival): all vanished. Not even dust remained. Floating a ways in the distance, Jacques and Ginger could make out the door to the Outerworld. It appeared that the Roadhouse was the only thing left standing in probably a square mile.

Jacques turned to Ginger. Ginger turned to Jacques. They gaped at each other. Ever so slowly, Jacques shut and locked the door.

"I…I…I do no' undeerstan'…" he sputtered. "Wha' 'as 'appened?"

Ginger shook her head.

"I dunno Jacques." She nearly whispered. "But…but I betcha I know someone who does."

They stared at each other. Then, together:

"Beetlejuice."

* * *

Deep, deep in Sandworm land, where no ghost of ghoul has ever been, there was a building. It stood on a foundation of solid rock, several hundred feet above the dunes. Around the base of the stone, huge sandworms, the biggest ever seen, were chained, assuring the end of any poor soul who ventured near. They slithered through the sands, all four eyes scanning the horizon for tasty, ghostly treats…like guard dogs protecting a home from intruders.

The building itself was huge. Rising and spreading in all directions, it was a world of Neitherworldian art- all angles and sharply twisting towers. It gleamed silver in the harsh sun, strange reflections giving the walls the appearance of movement- like a structure of liquid metal.

Inside, the rooms were as would be expected in a large mansion or castle: lounges, studies, libraries, dining halls, parlors, bathrooms, and bedrooms upon bedrooms. And all decorated in much better taste that one would ever find elsewhere in the Neitherworld. But throughout the entire house, for that is what it seemed to be, there was not a window to be found.

And every single wall was a mirror.

In the very center of this terribly odd creation, there was a gigantic circular room. The mirrors in here covered not only the wall, but the dome-shaped ceiling as well. Even the floor, which appeared to be the very rock the house was built upon, seemed to gleam. On one side there was a single, large metallic door. Directly facing it sat ten chairs- not quite thrones, but certainly elaborate looking. And in these chairs were nine people (the 5th spot was notably empty). Dressed in varying degrees of finery, from kingly robes on the male figure in the first chair, to a dark, plain dress and hooded cloak on the fourth, they all seemed entranced by the doorway…though for seemingly different reasons. The first looked irritated, the second and third quietly expectant, the fourth sad, and the seventh through tenth nervous and twitchy. Only the sixth seemed wholly uninterested. They all jumped in surprise when the door unexpectedly burst open.

A man, tall and lean, with long dark hair pulled into a horsetail, strode fiercely into the room. His long, back cape snapped at his heels as clouds formed around his head. His face would have been very handsome, were it not twisted with rage. Stomping loudly, he reached a point directly in front of the seated figures and stopped. Snapping his head up, he glared pointedly at the fifth, empty chair.

All those sitting leaned forward expectantly, but the man continued to stare. The clouds around him were growing and shaking now, crackling round his body.

The seventh through tenth all cleared their throats anxiously, eyes widening by the moment. The second and third glanced knowingly at each other. The fourth frowned mournfully, and pulled her hood over her head, while the sixth looked bored. The first gave a long sigh and, getting no reaction, finally harrumphed loudly.

"Evarios." He snapped.

The dark one, who seemed to be Evarios, switched his burning gaze to the first, looking like he wanted to incinerate his elaborate clothing and accessories. However, the storm clouds vanished suddenly.

"Yes, Appius? Have you something you wish to ask?" he said icily.

The first, Appius, glowered sternly at Evarios.

"You set out to do a task." He stated. "You have already kept us, your brothers and sisters, waiting long enough. What is your report?"

All eyes turned to the only standing member of the gathering. He sucked in his breath angrily.

"The criminals have escaped to the Outerworld, brother dearest." The last part was clearly sarcastic, but it was barely heard over the collective gasp of Appius and the seventh through tenth. The second and third looked relieve, and the fourth peeked out of her hood confusedly. The sixth looked bored.

"Escaped? Evarios, how could you possibly allow this to happen?" Appius did not seem angry, only upset.

"I did not allow it to happen." Evarios growled in reply. "I believe I clearly said they escaped, Appius, not that I let them go."

Appius opened his mouth to speak, but the second stopped him.

"Both of you, be quiet for a moment."

She was shorter than most others there, with long, brown hair and green eyes. Her lilac dress was long and embroidered with a twisting pattern of vines. Now, she caught both of their gazes, assuring their compliance.

"Appius, allow Evarios to give his full report. Arguing will do you no good if you do not know the details."

"Yes Appius, listen to Maiara." Evarios said mockingly. The first stiffened noticeably, but kept his mouth shut. The second, Maiara, shot an annoyed glance at him.

"Must you always act like a spoiled child?" The third said quietly, looking at Evarios. He glared at her; then his face suddenly softened and lost its anger.

"A spoiled child, sister? Your words hurt me, Aisha. However, I shall give my account of the failed punishment of the criminals."

The third, who was slim, blonde haired and blue eyed, blinked at this statement- as did the other eight. But none of them wished to disrupt Evarios's sudden change in temperament, so they did not question it.

"As soon as our decision was reached, I made to find the two in question. I located them near Lost Souls highway…and apparently, their door to the Outerworld." The last bit of his sentence was bitter, and Evarios's face changed once again into a cruel mask of hatred. But, with a shake of his head, his features smoothed again, and he continued.

"When I announced their crimes and punishment, they fled. Although I tried to stop them, they reached the door, and passed though. Then I returned here."

The others held their breath for more, but Evarios was finished. Finally, Appius let out a sigh and sat up straight.

"Well." He said. "Are there any questions?"

Aisha eyed Evarios warily.

"Was there any collateral damage?" she asked, as though already afraid what the answer would be.

"Only some roads. Do not worry, no ghosts or ghouls were harmed." He replied with a smirk. Aisha didn't look fully convinced, but accepted this as the best she would get.

"Evarios…" Maiara began. "In what way…how did you-" she faltered, trying to find a way to word her question without setting off a mood swing. Today, that seemed to be a delicate matter indeed.

"In what way did you go about informing the individuals of, and attempting to administer, the punishment decided upon?"

"It was within my rights as a member of The Council." He replied, face expressionless.

Maiara and Aisha shared another glance and winced. The fourth drew back into her hood. After a moment, Maiara turned back to Evarios. She opened her mouth to speak, but was abruptly cut off by the seventh.

"What in the name of the Neitherworld are we doing? We must catch them!" he cried, leaping to his feet. Easily the tallest of those assembled, he now towered above the eight still seated, eyes wide with…fear?

Seven of those sitting whipped their heads around to stare at him; the sixth was busy examining his nails. None of them saw the look of shock and returned anger that flashed across the face of their only standing member.

"Fool." He muttered darkly. The others turned their attention back to him. "Nsonowa, YOU, of all people, should know that we cannot travel to the Outerworld."

Nsonowa sat abruptly and ducked his head.

For several seconds, there was full silence in the domed room.

Finally, startling everyone, the sixth spoke up.

"Seems to me," he drawled slowly, eyes closed halfway, still cleaning his fingernails (though by now he had moved on to the other hand). "That our only option is to wait for them to come back here. Think about it. We are forbidden, by our own esteemed laws, to travel to or communicate with the Outerworld. And we cannot send a ghost to fetch them, as Evarios here has quite sufficiently convinced them of our existence. Besides, the ghoul is probably strong enough to dispatch any spirit we might send. However, it has been shown that both of the criminals have attachments here. They are bound to return. And until they do, we can at least get to work locating them."

A moment of contemplative quiet met the end of his speech. Then, Appius sighed tiredly.

"Fine." He said. "I, Appius of The Council, favor Rokuro's proposal."

Maiara raised her head from its perch upon her hand.

"I, Maiara of The Council, favor Rokuro's proposal."

"I, Aisha of The Council, favor Rokuro's proposal."

The dark fourth one did not emerge from within her hood.

"I, Enid of The Council," she murmured, "favor Rokuro's proposal."

Evarios moved to speak, but Rokuro cut him off.

"I, Rokuro of The Council," he said, a small smirk, his first sign of emotion the whole meeting, upon his lips. "Favor my own proposal."

Though his face had been contorted into yet another glare throughout this whole process, Evarios's eyes suddenly lit up, and he grinned.

"I, Evarios of The Council, favor Rokuro's proposal."

Nsonowa and the others remaining looked surprised by this. Subtly, Evarios nodded at them. Nsonowa gulped and spoke up.

"I, Nsonowa of The Council, favor Rokuro's proposal."

"I, Tavita of The Council, favor Rokuro's proposal." Said the eighth.

"I, Audie of The Council, favor Rokuo's proposal." The ninth.

"And I, Zebulun of The Council, also favor Rokuro's proposal." Finished the tenth.

Appius nodded curtly.

"It is unanimous. The Council will await the return of the ghoul Beetlejuice and the mortal girl Lydia Deetz, at which time their punishment shall be brought upon them. Until then, we-the-Council shall use our resources and information to find and observe the criminals in question. This meet is adjourned."

The nine sitting Council Members stood as one. Evarios spun on his heel and strode from the room, cape snapping and black clouds gathering once again.

* * *

Like it? Dont? Send me a review! I promise you the next chapter soon!

-Mel


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